Compare the2023 Toyota Rav4 PrimeVS 2023 Ford Escape PHEV

The Rav4 Prime has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Rav4 Prime and the Escape PHEV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Rav4 Prime is safer than the Escape PHEV:

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rav4 Prime the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Escape PHEV last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rav4 Prime for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Escape PHEV.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Rav4 Prime’s reliability 17 points higher than the Escape PHEV.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Ford is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Ford is ranked 18th.

The Rav4 Prime’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 81 more horsepower (302 vs. 221) than the Escape PHEV’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

The Rav4 Prime can travel with zero emissions on electricity, only, on a full charge for 42 miles. The Escape PHEV has to start its internal combustion engine after only 37 miles.

The Rav4 Prime has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Escape PHEV (14.5 vs. 11.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Rav4 Prime’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Escape PHEV are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Rav4 Prime XSE’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Escape PHEV (235/55R19 vs. 225/60R18).

The Rav4 Prime XSE’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Escape PHEV’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Rav4 Prime XSE has standard 19-inch wheels. The Escape PHEV’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Rav4 Prime is .6 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than on the Escape PHEV.

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 Prime SE’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Escape PHEV’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.2 feet).

The Rav4 Prime has .2 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Escape PHEV.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Rav4 Prime’s rear seats recline. The Escape PHEV’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Rav4 Prime has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Escape PHEV with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 60.8 cubic feet).

The Rav4 Prime’s cargo area is larger than the Escape PHEV’s in almost every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Rav4 Prime. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Rav4 Prime XSE’s available liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Rav4 Prime’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Escape PHEV’s (2500 vs. 1500 pounds).

If the windows are left open on the Rav4 Prime the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Escape PHEV can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Rav4 Prime’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Escape PHEV’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Rav4 Prime XSE offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Both the Rav4 Prime and the Escape PHEV have standard heated front seats. The Rav4 Prime also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Escape PHEV.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Rav4 Prime XSE keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Rav4 Prime XSE offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Rav4 Prime and the Ford Escape PHEV, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Ford Escape by almost three to one during 2022.